The Six-Day War! 40 years ago!

It's fantastic to think that it will soon be 40 years since we reunited Jerusalem. I just came across a new site about the Six-Day War that started me reminiscing!

(Check it out - I've posted the address in my Links under the heading - surprise, surprise - "Six-Day War"!)

I can still remember that euphoric period when the world loved us. David had defeated Goliath again and we naively thought that it would mean a more peaceful future for Israel and her neighbours.

Of course at that time I was a teenager in England and so it may well be that those who lived here in Israel were more realistic. I found my diary from that period and have decided to print the relevant excerpts here (untouched!). Not riveting stuff but authentic.

It should be noted that at the same time I was recording the highs and lows of my own life which included respectively the birth of my cousin Rhona’s baby and the death of my tortoise! And of course it was the age where the traumas of teenage love were the number one topic of conversation. Learning to drive also had its fair share of dramas – especially as it was my Dad who was teaching me! (He learnt to drive on a tank during WW2 so what could you expect?) So the diary entry “I was in tears” refers to an outing with him, not because of news from Israel.

Mon 5th June 1967 … I don’t need much time to write today’s happenings to me - nothing happened. However something has happened which may not concern me directly but never the less upsets me very much. There is now a war in Israel. Although it was obvious for days that one was impending, it still comes as a shock as one never completely gives up the hope that it won’t happen. I’ve included in my prayers each night “Please don’t let there be a war in Israel” and I suppose I’d come to believe that the miracle would take place. I can’t put down on paper how concerned I feel without sounding trite or stilted but I feel very deeply that Israel must not be destroyed. It makes me want to cry when I think how the sabras have slaved in their country to make it fertile and now a wretched Arab called Nasser wants to destroy it all. I only wish I were old enough to go out there to try and help but unfortunately the minimum age is 18. This is what makes it so much worse – my feeling of absolute helplessness. There must be something I can do.

Tues 6th June … Israel already seems to be defeating the Arabs.

Wed 7th June … In the evening I went to Habonim for a meeting. … I volunteered to baby-sit to raise money for Israel. It may not be much but at least I am doing something. … the war is practically over.

"THE TEMPLE MOUNT IS IN OUR HANDS"

Israel has control of the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem – today Moshe Dayan (Minister of Defence) visited the Wailing Wall. There are talks of a cease-fire. Thank G-d!

Thurs 8th June … Jordan have now stopped fighting. Nasser will not let Egypt give in despite Russia’s having stopped supporting him, but it is only a matter of time before he is defeated. How many people will have died by then though? How many crops will be ruined because there is no-one to reap them? Moshe Dayan says that Israel will not give up Jerusalem again – they now have control of the Arab sector, most of which used to be Jewish anyway!

Sat 9th June … We got a circular from the Bnai Brith this morning saying that one of the executive will come round tomorrow to collect money for Israel.

Sun 10th June … There was a cease-fire this morning at last. Israel have had a resounding victory.

Mon 11th June … The official number of dead from the war was given today – 679 (Israellis) and 2,563 wounded. I got a letter from Shimon (Israelli pen-friend) on Saturday. He was already in the army but the war hadn’t started so I don’t know if he is allright yet. I have written to him so now all I can do is wait.

I am glad to say that my pen-friend did survive the war. But where he is today I do not know!

Here's a very incisive article written by a gentleman called Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/17/AR2007051701976.html

http://us.f582.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?Search=&Idx=&YY=90819&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a

Each of them will sit under his vine ... Micah 4:1

Days of wine and roses

As our tiny little country is attacked on all sides by the road and house builders, more and more it is the green of the vineyards that saves our precious land.

Israel's wine industry is going from strength to strength. People are often surprised to know that the Jewish farmers (who were then known as the Palestinians!) were winning international prizes way back at the beginning of the 20th century too, but today's success is on a far grander scale.

A fun thing to do is to plan a tour of a few wineries, not forgetting to take in a cheese-making place or two along the way! And order yourselves a driver as well as the guide so that you can happily drink without worrying about where you are going or where you have been!

Different areas, different wines, different approaches.

From the (sometimes!) rain-swept Upper Galillee to the (always) sun-baked Negev; from the sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon to the amusing pomegranate wine (actually surprisingly good. Point of interest: Rimon is the only real pomegranate wine in the world - the rest are just pomegranate juice plus alcohol); from the state-of-the-art of the famous Golan winery to a boutique winery (like Ben Zimra, a small, rustic intimate place).

What a great way to learn about the wine laws and lores!

L'chaim